


My Heartburn’s For You

by Mama Robotnik (TheGreedler)



Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2020-12-14 00:11:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21006482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreedler/pseuds/Mama%20Robotnik
Summary: Ghosts? Spirits? Random hauntings of the spooky kind? None of that is real...right? A Harvestween weekend away with your team turns into a weekend in protecting the king and learning a few secrets along the way.





	1. Harvestweenie

“And for like 4 days, all these kingdoms come together for the biggest Harvest banquet you’ve ever SEEN. It’s amazing Adorabat, desserts as far as the eye can literally even see!”

”ALSO it’s a great learning opportunity. Along with tasting each town’s food, you get to learn the history behind it and the townspeople’s story. That’s the important takeaway from this trip Adorabat.”

”Wow, Mao Mao, way to make this sound like the most boring thing ever.“

”What do you mean boring?! Learning a town’s history is just one step into becoming the type of hero that town needs!”

Badgerclops and Mao Mao continued bickering amongst themselves as they traveled through the shopping center. The summer season had ended, with autumn hot on its tail. And with the changing of the leaves, the annual Harvest Banquet Road Trip was the hot topic in and out of HQ. Mao Mao and Badgerclops were only too happy to regale Adorabat with tales of their many harvest road trip shenanigans and adventures and she was only too happy to listen and take it all in. Except for the bickering, she didn’t get to hear any stories if they were busy arguing.

”Well, all of that sounds so fun!!!” Adorabat quickly interrupted, “We don’t have anything like that here! I’d loveeee to be able to leave the valley and get to explore other towns and stuff!”

”Oh yeah,” Badgerclops muttered, placing a fuming Mao back on the ground, “Adorabat, we never asked what y’all Sweetypies do for Harvestween.”

”We do all sorts of stuff!” Adorabat said excitedly. “All the adults gather in the court square to make pumpkin and hay effigies of the Gourd King!”

”The Gourd King?” Mao asked uncertainly.

”Wait does that mean his majesty runs around with a gourd on his head all weekend?!” Badgerclops laughed.

”No! He’s the guardian of Harvestween! We do all this to make him happy!” Adorabat fluttered from her perch on Badgerclop’s shoulder on to the ground, waving around a small Gourd King straw doll seemingly pulled from nowhere.

”Dude, can you imagine he gets that thing stuck on his head for like...a week?”

”Ugh and it just rots off his head and he smells like 3 dumpsters for a month?!”

Mao Mao and Badgerclops roared with laughter at the thought of their king in such a harrowing and gross predicament, continuing their trek through the shopping center. Adorabat huffed and flew after her companions, intent on letting them both know how horribly wrong they both were about the town’s beloved Gourd King. The Gourd King would never rot on someone’s head and leave them smelling like trash until Toy Day, he did that on the front porch under the direct sunlight!

”No you’re both wrong!” Adorabat screamed, swatting Mao Mao’s cape with her Gourd King. “The king doesn’t even join in on the fun and he doesn’t even give out candy!”

”Woah there little dude, first, hitting peeps ain’t cool.” Badgerclops plucked the little doll out of Adorabat’s wings and placed it inside the many shopping bags he was carrying. “Secondly, I would like to revisit this giving out free candy thing??”

”Ooh all us younger kids get to dress up to see who made the best Gourd King costume, and then we go around to different houses and demand free candy from everyone! And if they don’t give us any, we trick them!” Adorabat happily explained, eager to fill her teammates into the Harvestweenie joy Pure Heart Valley always experienced this time of year.

Mao Mao’s nose twitched at the mention of tricks for treats.

”Demanding candy? Loitering? Tricks??? All of this sounds super illegal.”

”Nah dude, don’t you remember Glimmer Valley kinda did the same thing and the mayor encouraged it? Ain’t nothing illegal about dressing up for free candy~ they’re working hard the money dude!

”Hmph, yea you’re right Badgerclops. Also, if they’re working hard for it, it's not free.” Mao pouted. No kingdom-wide arrests. Dang.

”But I wanna join you guys! I wanna leave the kingdom and try new food and meet new people and demand candy from new neighbours!!!” Adorabat exclaimed.

”Yea dude you should totally join us! They’d have to let us in the Fruity Rumpus Room with you there!” Badgerclops clapped excitedly, already dreaming of the dessert concert the rumpus room in Fastoon was famous for.

”Ah ah that’s IF your parents agree to let you leave the kingdom Adorabat. Once you have their permission, then we get excited.” Mao said curtly.

”Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go let's go LET’S GO!!!”

“Alright deputy, let's calm down.” Mao chuckled as Badgerclops easily plucked the excited child out of the air. And started shushing her, something he found he was doing a lot more of than just once a week. “First, we gotta-“

“OH SHERIFF~! SHERIFF MAO MAO~!!!”

The gag turned toward the source of the sing-song voice. Right up the road, flanked by two guards, sat King Snugglemagne surrounded with delectable treats and teas. The king waved happily toward them. Mao Mao raised his arm a bit and waved back.

“My dear sheriff~!” Snugglemagne continued to sing. “Your presence is required posthaste!”

Mao Mao sighed and turned back to his team. “Alright y’all continue on without me, this shouldn’t take too long. And Adorabat, I’m wise to your tricks, I will ask your parents about this.”

“Don’t worry bro, I got this! C’mon Adorabat, we’ll pick up my lobster bib and get that permission!”

“PERMISSION WOO!!!”

Adorabat screamed in excitement as she flew after Badgerclops’ retreating form. Mao Mao waved them off, smiling a bit at their enthusiasm. He started his way up the road, to his impromptu audience with the Snugglemagne. Whatever it was the king wanted, Mao Mao hoped it would be done quickly. He was definitely looking forward to this road trip. This was definitely shaping up to be a Harvestweenie trip to remember. One for the history books even. Now with the addition of Adorabat, Mao could teach her even more about becoming a legendary hero, and respecting the world around you, and the history of the land, and-

“Ah Sheriff Mao Mao, welcome! I trust your day has been well?”

Mao Mao snapped out of the reverie he found himself in at the sound of Snugglemagne’s voice. He was so lost in thought he hadn’t realized he had made his way over so quickly. Mao noticed Snugglemagne’s expectant stare and he blushed, quickly getting down on one knee and bowing his head to show his respect for the crown.

“Thank you, your grace! Yes, my day has been well, thank you for asking.”

“Splendid! Then you wouldn’t mind escorting me back to the castle!”

“Uhh..I would love to, my liege, but I really must get back-“

“It _wasn’t_ a suggestion sheriff.” Snugglemagne curtly replied, flashing a sugary sweet smile as he saw his vassal falter. “There is something of the utmost importance I must discuss with you, and as much as I simply adore this quaint little outdoor cafe, I would much prefer to talk to elsewhere. The riff-raff are starting to gather..” Snugglemagne sniffed, gesturing to an area behind Mao.

The cat turned around and sure enough, a small gathering of Sweetypies was starting to form, all of them itching for a chance to talk to their beloved king. Or at least get him to acknowledge their existence for more than half a second.

“If I could just touch the hem of his pants, I could die happy.” One Sweetypie whispered to another. Mao Mao shivered a bit. He would never understand blind idolization. But Snugglemagne was right, whatever important discussion he needed to have couldn't be done here, not with so many nosy citizens, with some being absolute gossips. Mao breathed heavily through his nose. He should’ve known today was going to be one of those days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to my foray into the Mao Mao fanfic world~ the title honestly has nothing to do with the rest of the story, I just really wanted to use it one day and a Snugglemao fic seemed like the perfect fit for it. So as a head’s up, it might change in the future if I think of a more fitting title. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this introductory chapter! I'll try to keep updating as much as I can, so stay tuned! (Kudos and comments are much appreciated~)


	2. Roll Me In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Say what now??

The walk back to the castle was unbearably silent. Mao Mao hated that. He hated the secrecy the king was subjecting him to. Mao Mao was the type of person who would rather know what the issue was immediately so it could be quickly dealt with instead of dragging it out like this. It was anxiety-inducing. What could be so important that one would subject their loyal Sherriff to such torture?! 

Mao fidgeted as walked behind Snugglemagne and his guards. Yes, Sweetipies were openly staring at him as he kept punching the air and biting at his gloves but the stalling and the silence were slowly killing him. He frowned when a passing Sweetipie giggled at him. Mao supposed he did look a little silly but it wasn’t an invitation for people to start laughing at him. This wouldn’t even be an issue if the lion in front of him would pick up the pace. 

Mao idly looked off to the side and his frown deepened. He didn’t recognize any of the buildings. He always made it a point to familiarize himself with new locations so he could never get lost-Pure Heart valley was no exception-but he felt completely turned around. King Snugglemagne and his guards marched forward and all Mao could do was follow and not lose track of them. Where in the world was he being taken to? 

And as if fate was looking out for him, Snugglemagne finally stopped. 

“Ah here we are~ Guards, you are dismissed.” Snugglemagne waved his paw dismissively. 

In a blink of an eye, both guards were gone, like they were never even there in the first place. Mao Mao looked about incredulously. He knew he was fast but the way those two moved was absolutely something else. 

“Mao Mao my dear, my apologies for dragging you all the way out here.” 

“Oh-uh...it’s fine your majesty. I don’t think I’ve ever been to this part of the kingdom.” Mao continued to observe his surroundings. Something just felt...off. All the normal hustle and bustle of the town were silenced. The wind was barely a whisper and there wasn’t a villager to be seen. It was a bit creepy. If Mao spooked easily, he didn’t show it. 

Snugglemagne grinned, shooting his Sheriff a playful glare. “Oh, this is just one of many secret entrances to my underground gallery! We can’t just have anyone knowing the location now, can we?” he giggled. 

The king gestured for Mao Mao to keep following him. Mao sighed and jogged to Snugglemagne’s side. He should’ve known that such a convoluted trip was just to get on his nerves. But they were indeed traveling into the kingdom’s underground chambers, now monster free thanks to Badgerclops. His much more intuitive traps helped clear them and their eggs out. 

“My King,” Mao Mao spoke up. “Why exactly did you dismiss your guards earlier?” 

“That, you nosy rapscallion, will be explained in due time!” 

“Wow, rude.” 

“Ahem, do hold your tongue, Sheriff, I am not above using torture on those in my inner circle, aha~” Snugglemagne’s voice sung out. 

Mao Mao bit back his retort and fixed Snugglemagne with a small glare. The king merely giggled and made his way into a small alcove, completely unnoticeable unless you were really paying attention. Mao sighed for what felt like the five millionth time that day. 

“Hurry, would you?!” Snugglemagne called from inside the room. “Not all of us have time to dilly dally!” 

Mao Mao growled and opened his mouth to very rudely answer back but quickly thought against it. Snugglemagne’s promise of torture to those close to him was not an idle threat, Badgerclops and Adorabat would gladly attest to that, and after the entire fiasco with the ruined royal pet show, he was loathed to find out just what kind of torture the king had been cooking up for him. 

“Sheriff!” 

“Keep your damn crown on, I’m coming!” Mao dragged a hand through the fur on his head and sighed for the sixth millionth time. Just get through this weird impromptu meeting with the king, and he could get back to Harvestween fun with the rest of his team. He could do this. Of course, he could do this. He was (slowly but surely) becoming a hero. He could do anything. 

Resolve strengthened; Mao nodded to himself. He walked into the little hidden alcove, ready and willing to entertain whatever wild fantasy the kind had and book it back to HQ before any more could be asked of him. The little room was furnished just as lavishly as the rest of the castle proper on the surface, minus the grand windows. In the middle of the room sat an oblong table with a modest floral bouquet (Mao was honestly expecting some kind of wet, dank and stupidly dark room to be very honest.) Mao Mao took one look at the king as he entered the room and felt his resolve falter. The coy and impish look Mao was so familiar with and was expecting was gone, replaced instead with a troubled and melancholy look. He fidgeted next to the seat he stood by. What in the world was going on that would could get Snugglemagne of all people to look like that?? 

Snugglemagne broke the long stretch of silence, sighing and glaring right at Mao Mao. Mao felt himself falter again under that glare, which in his honest opinion, was completely undeserved. He hadn’t done anything. Yet. 

“Sheriff, while I do commend you on your adherence to formalities, I am loathe to keep up this charade at the moment. So I must ask that you sit, or I will _make _you sit.” 

Mao Mao looked at his king in shock. Snugglemagne definitely did not look like he was in the joking mood. He quickly sat in the only other chair at the table. Something was definitely up for the king to acting in such a manner. Heaven knows HE didn’t do anything to draw Snugglemagne’s ire. At least he thought he didn’t. 

“My liege,” Mao blurted out. “Before you say anything else, just know that whatever it is, I didn’t do it! IT WAS ALL KEVIN'S IDEA!” 

“Kevin? What-? What in the world are you blathering on about?! Who is Kevin?! GET OFF THE TABLE THIS INSTANT!!!” 

In his hurried ranting, Mao didn’t notice he climbed on the table and was starting a (relatively short) crawl over to the king. He blushed profusely and started scooting backward, coughing and sputtering apologies the whole way back. By the time he was seated, he could practically _feel_ Snugglemagne’s hot glare. 

“If your asinine theatrics are over, Sheriff, I would like to discuss with you the problem I am having?!” 

“Uh, yeah sure knock yourself out...” Mao muttered. Gods above, he could not bring himself to look at Snugglemagne after that outburst. So he chose to stare off to the side and to the moulding on the wall. Very interesting,that moulding. So...gold..very ornate. Wow. 

“You see Sheriff, the reason I called you down here...the reason for all the secrecy...” Snugglemagne looked around the little alcove as though someone was there listening in on their conversation. No one could’ve followed them in and there were no windows. Mao Mao turned his head in the direction the king was looking, wondering what or who in the world Snugglemagne was looking for. 

“ It’s.. that is... oh my...I just can’t seem to get the words out...” 

“Just spit it out already!” Mao Mao yelled, momentarily forgetting just who he was talking to. 

“ My..my beloved castle is haunted!” Snugglemagne eventually squeaked out, quickly covering his mouth with both paws as though he said something very inappropriate. 

If you had asked Mao Mao later on, he would’ve told you it was absolutely thunder he heard all the way underground, right as Snugglemagne proclaimed his home was haunted. Now though? No, no such thing happened. 

“Say what now?” 

“Are those giant things on your head just for decoration?!_ I said my castle is haunted! _” Snugglemagne growled, slamming his paws on the table. The force of it shook the entire room. The king pouted and drew his arms to himself. “It’s been like this for five years now and always around this time. It has gotten to the point that my own staff refuses to stay here during the week! I can’t just abandon this place, some peasant could find their way in and touch all of my valuables!” 

“So...what does this have to do with me?” Mao Mao couldn’t believe he was listening to this and entertaining it. There were no such things as ghosts and hauntings and whatever other supernatural crap people came up with to take advantage of the season. 

“Well you’re the Sheriff, aren’t you?! I need your protection! I no longer have anyone around me during this nonsense and if you haven’t noticed, it's really starting to get to me... ” Mao Mao definitely noticed. The king’s normal behaviour was always a bit much, but within the past hour, it had been close to abhorrent. He looked ready to tear the wall down and cry at the same time. 

“Your majesty...I understand..no, you know there is no such thing as ghosts right? Someone is just pranking y’all good and I promise after this trip I’ll find the culprit and-” 

In a dramatic flutter of a very expensive cape, Snugglemagne was at Mao Mao’s side, instantly down on one knee. Mao’s eyes widened as large paws engulfed his smaller gloved ones. ‘They fit so perfectly together’ ran across his head. Now was not the time for such thoughts of course. Uncertain jade green eyes stared into watery royal blue ones. In addition to lowering himself physically and figuratively, Snugglemagne was openly crying, something Mao had only seen once before.

“Mao Mao please, I am never one to prostrate myself like this to anyone below me but I am begging you for your help! Since you practically fell into my lap I thought you could be a solution to my problems! I don’t know what else to do or who else to turn to..not even my resident magic technicians know what to do! I am at the end of my rope...” Snugglemagne sobbed. 

Saying Mao Mao was uncomfortable would be the understatement of the year. This wasn’t right. Royalty shouldn’t be groveling at his feet, begging for protection from something that doesn’t even exist. It was insane! Yet, here they were. He felt the migraine forming behind his eyes. An entire week babysitting the king instead of being with his friends? Half of him wanted to tell the king off and to find some other sucker for the job. The other half of him, the reasonable side (which was considerably small) forced him to be just a smidgen empathetic. Mao couldn’t ignore the king’s cry for help, not when he put away his very pride to practically beg for it from someone so low on the totem pole. The king must have been so desperate for some kind of help that he would do this. Ugh, he was going to hate himself tomorrow morning. 

“ Fine...” Mao Mao growled out. "I’ll stay here and find the varmint responsible for all this okay? Just...please get up this is making me really uncomforta-” 

“SPLENDID! OH ABSOLUTELY SPLENDID!” Snugglemagne popped up from his spot on the ground and quickly gathered all one hundred pounds of Sheriff into his arms, twirling around and crushing the poor thing in his arms. Snugglemagne sung his praises for Mao Mao and said black cat wondered just what he had gotten himself into. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter alone is nearly 2k words, hot dang. Hope you all enjoyed! If you're following me on Instagram (under the same name of Mama Robotnik), I'll be posting up a bumper picture for this chapter. It's almost done, I just really wanted to get this chapter out of the way so we all wouldn't have to wait so long for it. Also, please let me know if Mao Mao's full name is weirdly spaced out in this chapter. In editing, it looks just fine. In previews, it shows up weird and I am actively trying to fix it!
> 
> Again, comments and kudos are appreciated!


	3. Set In Motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Right now I realize, I can do it if I try! I can do anything, the gears begin to turn around!

“Yes, my liege. I understand. I will, my lord. Uh...there’s really no need to-ugh fine. I won’t be late, hero’s honour...” 

“Sheriff!” 

“Hhhhh...I love you too.” 

Giant doors snapped shut in front of Mao Mao’s face. He turned to face the sky and saw the sun was well on its way to setting. Mao leaned against the door with a grimace on his face. That meeting took a lot longer than he thought it would. Badgerclops and Adorabat had to be long gone by now, back at HQ, with the Aerocycle. Mao would have to hoof it back by himself. Absolutely perfect. 

He reluctantly pushed himself off the castle doors and began his decent off the palace grounds. Snugglemagne had talked Mao’s ear off about the “hauntings” (which, in Mao Mao’s professional opinion, were just stupid pranks being caused by delinquents) he and his staff had been through the past five years with excruciating detail, leaving absolutely nothing out. The image of Quinton being harassed on the toilet by these “ghosts” was going to stay with Mao for the rest of his life. 

But he had to admit, listening to the king recount years of terror and harassment by these so-called “ghosts”, he’d be at his wit’s end as well. Mao Mao vowed to Snugglemagne that he would put an end to the shenanigans and by the gods, he was going to thoroughly enjoy throwing their asses in jail. 

“Oh Sheriff Mao Mao, there you are!” 

Mao Mao looked up from his musings. At the end of the staircase stood Camille and Honey, suitcases scattered among them. Honey gave a quick wave to Mao Mao and went back to counting inventory. Camille eagerly waved him over, cackling all the while. Oh, this should be good. 

“So,” Mao Mao began as he reached the bottom step. “Y’all jumping ship for the weekend too?” 

“Oh heck yea! You’d have to be a special kind of crazy to stick around here with a ghost running amuck! Ah..no offense to the king.” Camille quickly added. Most of the guards and staff were long gone, but you could never be too sure who was listening in to conversations about Snugglemagne to go tattle to him. 

“Then I guess we’re both a special kind of crazy, seeing as how I’ll be his majesty’s personal bodyguard this weekend and whatnot.” 

“Oh goodie, then he _did_ listen to me! Honey! Fetch me that one satchel, we finally got one!” Camille gleefully clapped her hands and cackled as Honey smirked and hopped onto the carriage, poking through all their luggage with energy she definitely did not have before. 

Mao Mao cringed at that, whatever Camille was talking about sounded absolutely hazardous to health and well-being and he needed both to keep up with Snugglemagne. Everything in him was screaming to just run away already. 

“I know I’m going to regret asking this, but what, pray tell, in the wide world of sports are you talking about? And if it involves sucking face with a leech again, I’m arresting both of you.” Oh, you idiot, why did you stay and involve yourself? 

“Oh no no no!” Camille responded in a reassuring voice. “He’s moved on to bigger and better things!” Honey tapped Camille’s shoulder, presenting a rosy pink satchel to her mentor. The magician eagerly took it and Honey went back to taking inventory, hiding a small smile behind her sleeve. 

“This is a little side project I had Honey working on these past 2 years; she finished it up a month before you lot fell into town actually!” She handed the satchel over to Mao Mao, hurrying him to open it. Mao swatted her hands away. He untied the knot holding the bag closed and opened it to find- 

“Gems? Seriously?” 

“Crystals you goon! Spiritual crystals that should help you deal with those blasted ghosts!” Camille replied confidently. 

“Yeah, thanks but no thanks. We’re not dealing with the supernatural here, just a couple of _ punks _ who WILL be brought to justice.” Mao Mao growled out. 

“Besides, if this some kind of tool to deal with these nasties, why haven’t you given it to the king already?” 

“Ugh, BECAUSE you utter fool,” Camille snatched the satchel out of Mao’s hands, digging out one of the crystals. “If you paid more attention in meditation class, you would know these are more than just for dealing with the supernatural, these are first and foremost, healing crystals!” 

“How do you know that I meditate?” Mao Mao asked accusingly. 

“Don’t interrupt me!” Camille yelled, shoving one of the crystals in Mao’s face. 

“Honey and I have worked hard at amplifying the natural healing and protective powers of these crystals. Mini Ruby Hearts if you will! And they each have their own specific roles! The only reason we haven’t tested it out on his majesty is stress! All these ghost shenanigans have him losing sleep, and you lot breaking the Ruby Pure Heart aren’t helping matters any, now are ya?” 

All Mao Mao could do was cough at that. He looked off to the side, not wanting to meet the other’s mismatched glare. At least he wasn’t the main cause of Snugglemagne’s problems, you couldn’t blame him and Badgerclops for all that, it started before they even got here! 

Camille popped her tongue. As best she could with it hanging out the side of her mouth. She placed the crystal back in the bag and fished out a folded piece of paper. 

“This list explains everything you need to know about each crystal. Ya got peridot, jet, smoky quartz, amethyst and...wait what's this pink one?” Camille questioned. Honey appeared at her side in the blink of an eye and whispered hurriedly into Camille’s ear. 

“Oh...oh! Really? Does it do that? _ Really _?” 

“What is it?!” Mao Mao screeched. 

“Never you mind that Sheriff!” Camille quickly tied the satchel back together and shoved it ungracefully into Mao Mao’s chest. 

Both magicians scuttled quickly back into their fully packed carriage, obviously ignoring Mao’s repeated questions and threats to arrest them on the spot if they didn’t answer him right this minute. 

“Sorry Sheriff! We’re burning twilight and I got a hankering for some cookies before the shops close! Good luck! Don’t get yourself or the king killed! Move it Honey, let's get this show on the road!” Camille laughed. 

Honey shot Mao Mao a sly look, snapping the reigns to the carriage. They sped off, Camille’s cackling fading into the distance. 

Mao Mao could only stare in disbelief as the pair sped off, literally leaving him in the dust. He didn’t even get a chance to ask them for a ride. His attention went back to the bag of crystals that was rudely thrown at him. It didn’t explode on impact with him or the ground and he didn’t suddenly grow an extra eye, so the contents of the bag were presumably safe. For now. 

Camille was..unfortunately right, learning about the different healing powers of crystals was never high on his priority list, and his father only trained three of his children in healing arts, so a lot of what he _ should _know just wasn’t available to him. Sitting down and going over these crystals would be a good learning experience, and it wouldn’t hurt to get Adorabat on it as well. Everyone at HQ would benefit from it. 

“IF I COULD EVER GET HOME FIRST!” Mao Mao screamed at no one in particular. A cool breeze was the only response the rapidly darkening sky gave him. Mao growled and started his journey out of the castle and back to HQ. 

Hmph, ghosts indeed. He’d make sure these “ghosts” were locked up for the rest of their pathetic lives for this inconvenience to him and to the crown. 

\- 

-

“Dude, this isn’t going to work if you keep wandering off map, we’re a TEAM! How old even are you?! Wait, seriously?” 

“Badgerclops! Are you guys here?!” 

“Look man, I’m going to give you a few to figure out your life and when I come back, I better see _progress _. In your life and in your attitude. Koopatroopa out. Yo Mao Mao, I’m down in the garage!” 

Badgerclops let out a yawn and tossed his handheld to the side, stretching out the kinks in his legs. He had been sitting down in the garage for hours playing online. He didn’t want to disturb Adorabat’s sleep, it was a big day for them and rest of the team tomorrow and they would need all the sleep they could get. And with Mao Mao being gone for so long, it was the perfect opportunity for a six-hour mega-dungeon crawl in his favourite game, Cooking Papa’s Lament. 

If only his online teammates could get it together and work as smoothly as his real-life teammates. That kid really needed to get his act together before he got back online. Who forgets their cooking apron before going into a buffet dungeon?! Absolute amateurs that’s who. 

Movement by the ceiling hatch grabbed Badgerclops’ attention and he watched Mao Mao slide down, shooting his friend a quick “yo” and two finger guns. 

“What are you doing all the way down here? And where is Adorabat, it's absolutely way past her bedtime.” Mao Mao asked, quickly returning the finger guns. 

“She’s been asleep dude, but that’s more than I can say about you, you’re never up this late.” Badgerclops laughed. 

Mao Mao let out a tired, shaky breath and threw himself on the couch next to Badgerclops. “That meeting with his majesty turned out to be the most absurd thing I’ve ever had the displeasure of sitting through. For five hours!” 

“Well you know how much I love gossip, gimme the deets.” Badgerclops sang, reaching for his bowl of Cheddar Paws. 

“First off, the entire palace staff and the king himself believe they’re being haunted and have been for the past 5 years, and if you ask me, the king is just being harassed by some nogoodniks who are actively trying to make my life worse! Ghosts don’t even exist!” 

“None of the staff even stay there anymore so his majesty is left entirely alone and defenseless for whole days! FOUR! Who does that?!” Mao’s voice wavered a bit at the end of his lament, exasperated at the turn of today’s event and the situation it landed him in. 

“You don’t believe in ghosts man?” Badgerclops asked around a mouth full of cheese paws. “I know I've told you about all those times I’ve been haunted by that fridge ghost back in Empire City!” 

“Badgerclops, I am not getting into that with you, alright? And I already told you it was _me _moving your gigantic pails of ice-cream out of the way! They were taking up space for the rest of the groceries!” 

“But that doesn’t explain why there was less ice-cream in there every night! I know my limits man, I can’t eat all that in one night!” 

“I was eating some too!” Mao Mao yelled, sneakily fishing some cheesy paws out of the bowl. 

“Oh, yea sure Mr. Dairy Allergy!” 

“Okay you know what, I’m not doing this again, I needed to be in bed two hours ago anyway, the king-” 

_**“SAAAAAAAAAVE MY BACON! I’M REALLY IN A JAM!”**_

“Oh yea that’s been going off for hours now, I figured that was y’all messing around..how is the king in danger already?” Badgerclops settled back into the couch. The only reason he didn’t just toss the alarm out the window was the small chance Snugglemagne actually was in danger and Mao Mao tried to contact them through it. 

“He’s not,” Mao Mao walked over to the alarm and struggled to reach a small button on the underside of it to turn it off. “He said he’d call to make sure I actually made it back to HQ and not skip town on him like the rest of his staff.” 

“Well yea you’re skipping town, we have a trip planned, remember? You asked Tanya Keys to come take over for us?” Badgerclops extended his robo-arm to the alarm, effortlessly pressing the button and silencing the warbling song. Mao Mao let out a frustrated groan and muttered his thanks, throwing himself back on the couch. 

“His majesty ordered me to be his personal bodyguard for the weekend and do away with these ne’er-do-wells and even though I wanted nothing more than to tell him to kiss off....ugh I know I have to stay behind.” Mao rubbed his face tiredly. 

“Dude, is this your code thing again? Cause couldn’t Tanya-” 

“It's not _just _my code. It’s my filthy stinkin’morals too. I can’t just leave him, Badgerclops. Alone and defenseless? If he does something reckless and it gets him hurt or gods forbid _killed_, that’s on me and I’d feel like a gigantic asshole.” Not to mention leaving an entire kingdom susceptible to anyone and their mother taking over. That was something Mao Mao never wanted to think about. Breaking the Ruby Pure Heart made that an almost reality. 

“You’re not coming anymore Mao Mao?” 

Badgerclops and Mao Mao quickly glanced up at the ceiling hatch. There was Adorabat, sleepy, but with a worried look on their face. 

“Adorabat? How long have you been up?” Mao Mao asked, reaching his arms up to them. Badgerclops extended his robo-arm again, this time gently grabbing Adorabat and placing them in Mao’s waiting arms. Adorabat yawned, and rubbed their eyes, trying to wake themselves up but absolutely melting in Mao Mao’s warm hug. 

“I heard the alarm go off so I came down here. Are you really not coming with us anymore? Is it something I did? I swear I did ask my parents and-” 

“It's fine Adorabat. And no, it's not you. Trust me, this trip became a thousand times better when you got involved and I wanted to teach you so much! But...a hero’s duty never really gets to take a break.” 

“Heh heh, hero’s duty..” Badgerclops mumbled. 

“SHUSHSHHHHHH!!!” Mao glared daggers at his friend for the inappropriate joke. Thankfully Adorabat wasn’t paying attention to anything much apart from Mao Mao’s voice. 

“And..a hero always does what's right. Even if it hurts them inside...”Adorabat spoke up, slowly drifting back to sleep. Mao turned his head back to the sleepy bundle in his arms, a small smile on his face and tears already welling up in his eyes. Adorabat was absolutely learning what it means to be a hero. 

“So..you’ll be okay without me there?” Mao asked quietly. 

“Yea, me and Badgerclops...are gonna have so much....pie...”Adorabat started snoring, unable to stay up any longer. But Mao Mao understood they were okay with him not being there on their first trip outside of the valley. It was a big milestone, but Mao felt Adorabat was maturing enough to understand he wouldn’t always be there for the fun times when duty called. It made him so proud. 

“That's our queue to head bed. Coming Badgerclops?” Mao sniffed, rubbing the tears out of his eyes. 

“Yea dude, just gimme like...an hour I gotta finish this dungeon and make sure my team wasn’t eaten by that Souffle Yeti. That thing is harder than-” 

“NOW Badgerclops. I need to be at the castle in 4 hours and you’re driving.” Mao interrupted. He walked over to the escape pole and pressed a button on the wall behind it, activating a small elevator bringing his and his sleepy bundle back up to the living room. 

“FINE! My team was full of the worst people known to exist anyway...” 

RumpShaker300 was just going to have to find his way out of the 63rd floor of the dungeon himself then. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2.6k words? What am I even writing its all a blur....@_@
> 
> Yes, I did use they/them pronouns for Adorabat! Their gender pronouns are not official, but I love that during the concept phase, its what was used for them. So I will be switching between they/them/she/her in different chapters for Adorabat. Chapter 1 had she/her and this one had they/them. Next one (that mentions Adorabat) is up in the air. Hope you all don't mind, but I'm just using it as a reflection of myself, who is also non-binary and switches between they/she pronouns a lot and doesn't mind who uses what.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this particularly long chapter! Again, if you spot any mistakes, please let me know! My only beta is my sleepy concentration at 3 in the morning...comments and kudos are appreciated!


	4. Midnight Mountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah, hurry to the unexplored land  
I'm not scared at all. Are you scared of something?  
Oh yeah, hurry to the unexplored land  
I don't mind these walls or any obstacles

Sleepy goodbyes were had as the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. Mao Mao’s utter refusal to let the king stay by himself for a moment longer had everyone up and out the door by five am. Adorabat could barely keep their eyes open and Badgerclops muttered angrily under his breath about injecting coffee straight into his heart at this point. Mao Mao barely got any sleep himself, only getting a restless two hours. What if Snugglemagne was putting himself in danger right now? What if those punks who dared step foot in Castle Pure Heart knew Mao Mao would be there to protect the king and took drastic measures? Were Sweetipies even capable of violence? Especially against their king? Those thoughts swirled in his head and ensured a broken sleep. 

“You sure you need to be here this early dude? Not even the sun is awake right now, the sky is still dark, its definitely telling us to go back to HQ and sleep for ten more hours.” Badgerclops complained. 

“Yes, I am sure I need to be here this early. And _you _can’t go back to bed for ten hours. You needed to be on the road in 3 hours anyway.” Mao Mao hopped off the Aerocycle, giving Adorabat one last goodbye. 

“Yea but…I just…don't see the point…” 

“Food. Food is the point.” 

“Food? Man, as soon as I get to Glimmer, I’m sleeping in for 50 years.” He muttered. 

Mao Mao huffed and shot his friend a tired smile. “Just make sure you include Adorabat in those plans, alright? I’ll see you guys next week.” 

“Yea we’ll see you. Don’t get got by any ghosts, we can’t pay rent without you.” 

Badgerclops didn’t give Mao Mao a chance to register his parting words, shooting off into the distance and disappearing into the dark sky. The thought that seatbelts should be installed on the Aerocycle at some point crossed his mind before a cold wind blew through, snapping him out of his thoughts. Those two were no longer of any concern. It was time to focus everything on the task at hand, protecting King Snugglemagne from the menace that dared to step foot in this castle. 

Mao lifted his rucksack and started his way up the stairs. It was eerily quiet in the usually boisterous castle grounds. Was he really here too early? No, Badgerclops was wrong, any self-respecting royalty would be up this early, starting their day and getting ready to tackle their hectic schedule. Right? Right. Snugglemagne had to be the type to start their day before the sun rose! 

The cold wind blew even harsher as Mao Mao reached the giant doors. Wrapping his cape tighter around him he knocked three times and waited. A minute went by with nothing but silence. He knocked again. Still, nothing but silence. He growled, ready to punch a hole in the door if someone didn’t answer him RIGHT NOW-wait… 

“There’s no one here…” Mao Mao sighed, laying his head on the door. Maybe he was here a bit too early. The king was definitely not awake, and he had no way to get into the castle; forced to sit out in the dark until Snugglemagne decided to wake up. So far, this was turning out to be the worst job he ever had. 

_ ‘__Sheriff Mao Mao, there you are. Welcome to Castle Pure Heart. My apologies for making you wait so long. _ _ ’ _

Geraldine was out in almost an instant, inches away from the small figure in front of him who seemingly appeared out of thin air. No one was supposed to be here apart from himself and his majesty. This..intruder must have snuck their way into the castle last night as soon as Mao Mao left, one of the ne’er-do-wells “haunting” the castle? He glared at the…robot? What in the world? It didn’t matter, this was an intruder and it would be dealt with post-haste. 

“You have two seconds to tell me who the hell you are and why I shouldn’t rip your head from your torso.” He threatened. 

The little robot in front of him bowed. It was just the size of a Sweetipie. ‘_Greetings, Sheriff Mao __Mao__. My name is R.0.0., your royal autonomous A.I. that has been activated for the benefit of His Royal Highness King __Snugglemagne __the 25__th __for the entirety of the __Harvestween __Weekend. _ _ ’ _

Mao Mao lowered Geraldine a bit as he gave the little robot a once over. It didn’t seem like a threat. It looked nauseatingly adorable and like it would cry at the drop of a hat. Did robots even cry? If they did, then this one had nerves of (literal) steel, it didn’t even flinch when Geraldine came close to splitting its face in two. If he wasn’t immediately suspicious of this thing, Mao Mao would be seriously impressed. 

A sudden errant thought crossed his mind. “Royal Autonomous A.I.? Doesn’t that spell Raia? What kind of idiot made that simple mistake?” Mao Mao laughed. 

_ ‘H__is Majesty is aware of the name discrepancy; however, he would prefer that I be named Roo. He has stated that it is more acceptable than my serial number RO-6231991 and that it sounds better in a countertenor voice. _ _ ’ _

“Yea that sounds like something the king would come up with..” Mao Mao huffed, sheathing Geraldine, satisfied with the answer Roo gave him. “So are you locked out here too or what?” 

_ ‘__No, I have come to retrieve you and show you to your sleeping quarters for the weekend. His Majesty King __Snugglemagne __is asleep at the moment, and will not wake for another 5 hours. _ _ ’ _

“FIVE HOURS?!” 

_ ‘__Affirmative. My apologies if this is not to your liking, Sheriff Mao Mao, but His Majesty’s wishes are absolute, and I will uphold them to the best of my abilities. Please, follow me.'_Picking up his fallen bag, Roo promptly turned and started walking away. Mao Mao stared after her, a robot maid, of all things to come out of this weekend, this was one thing he did not anticipate. None the less, it was a pleasant surprise, at least he’d have another to talk to, even if she had the personality of a wet paper bag. It would be much better than Snugglemagne’s gregarious personality all weekend. 

‘_I_ _take your inactivity as a sign that you would like to wait outside until King _ _ Snugglemagne __awakens. Is this__correct Sheriff Mao Mao? _’ 

“Huh? What no I’m freezing out here let's get inside already!” He made his way over to the middle of the courtyard Roo stood in, shooting her a heated glare. She paid him no mind, quickly producing a shiny red button from a pocket in her pinafore. 

“Oh gods, is this one of the king’s trapdoors?!” 

_ ‘Please watch your step Sheriff Mao __Mao _ _ .’ _

Not even a second was spared to actually grab on to Roo. Mao screamed as the ground gave way and shot them through a long and winding tunnel. But as soon as it started, it was over. The cold that was biting away at him blossomed into warmth, and Mao Mao instantly felt better. Cold weather had to be the worst invention ever. 

‘_We have arrived, Sheriff Mao __Mao__. Welcome to Castle Pure Heart.’ _

At her words, Mao Mao realized he was perched almost precariously on top of Roo’s shoulders, claws digging into her arms and his own like a vice around her neck. But her face remained unchanged and totally calm, unfazed by the swordsman currently threatening to rip her head clean off. 

Prying his appendages off, he gingerly stepped down from his perch, coughing awkwardly and looking everywhere but at the little robot. Just imagine if Badgerclops had seen all that, he would never let Mao live it down. It was unbecoming of a legendary hero. He would be mocked, shamed, or even worse, lose the respect of his family! All because he couldn’t handle a little trapdoor?! 

“It’s not like you expect a trapdoor in the safest place in the world, of all things?! Give me a break, who does that?!” 

_ ‘I __can not __answer that inquiry, Sheriff Mao __Mao__. Please follow me to your quarters for the weekend.’ _

Oh, right. He had an audience. An audience that probably (probably) wouldn’t speak ill of him, telling everyone and their mother about his trapdoor incident and recent outburst. Hopefully. 

Mao Mao wrapped his cape around his shoulders and stalked over to Roo, snatching his rucksack from her arms. 

“Well, what are you waiting for? An invitation?” Mao growled. “Let’s go already, I have things to do.” He stomped past her, not bothering to wait for a reply. This weekend was already shaping up to be a gigantic disaster, he could feel it in his bones. 

_ ‘As you wish, Sheriff Mao __Mao _ _ .’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this took longer than it should've to come out. But the holidays came out of nowhere and some grown-up issues hit me over the head with a brick these past couple of weeks so it REALLY distracted me, and I wrote a lot of this chapter in small bursts spread out over a long time. I hope you all can forgive me! Also, my apologies if this seems shorter than my last chapters, I just really needed a transitional chapter before jumping right on in.
> 
> And I hope you all don't mind Roo being in this story! She's a weird combination of 2 OCs I have and squished down to Sweetipie size for this story. She won't have much of an impact on this story, she's only there to run errands while the rest of the castle staff have absconded for the holiday, so she'll be in the background for most of the story. Also, her serial number is actually a super important date for me! Can anyone guess what it is? (i wouldn't blame you if you couldn't lmfao) I should have some reference art of her up soon on my Instagram, so definitely stay tuned for that (if you're interested.)
> 
> The next chapter for this definitely won't be out until after the New Year. Just an FYI so everyone isn't wondering if this story is dead or not. Cause I fully intend on finishing it! Enjoy my little Sweetipies, and I'll see you next year! (unless you follow me on my Instagram or tumblr, then I'll be hopefully uploading some art before the year ends)


	5. Al-Di-La~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just maybe ready never, still we do  
For none is ever better, win or lose it all  
Beaming just to be on a path that's set to shatter the grounds  
Although it's but a dream, but in dreams are where the nevers are found

It was quiet. Way too quiet. 

The castle staff had only left their posts a few hours ago, not very long ago at all. But walking through it now, it felt...abandoned. Like there was never any life in its walls to begin with. The normally warm and boisterous hallways were silent and dark, the cold from the outside encroaching as the pair continued their way to the castle’s residential suite. 

Mao Mao hated to admit it, but the entire atmosphere felt...creepy. Like something really was haunting Castle Pureheart, draining the life and colour from everything. At this point, he couldn’t blame Snugglemagne for wanting to sleep in. Who would want to be subjected to this depressing scene all day? 

The silence ringing through the halls was deafening. How the king dealt with this for years was beyond Mao. But he was here now, and he was a hero. A legendary one at that. One that would put an end to his King’s suffering... 

And come out of it with a big, fat reward! An actual one this time! Mao felt his resolve strengthen and nodding his head in self-affirmation. Dealing with all the doom and gloom and his majesty’s eccentric behaviour would make the big payout, in the end, all the more worth it. _'Big heroes do big things’ _his father’s words rang in his head, and Mao Mao was determined to make that a reality. 

“Hey,” he prodded the robot in front of him with the handle of his blade. “We’ve been walking for hours, where the hell are you even taking me?” 

**[His majesty has taken residence in the Guest Suite in the west hall of the castle. He feels that less activity occurs there during this holiday.] **

Less activity? Mao pondered on that last tidbit of information. If the castle was truly “haunted” things should be happening everywhere, equally, right? He’d have to investigate that claim. What in the wide world of sports made one part of the castle more hospitable than the other? 

“Is the Main Hall closed off?” Mao asked, mainly as a curious precaution, fully intending on sneaking into the closed-off hall anyway. 

**[Indeed, Sheriff Mao Mao. But King Snugglemagne has granted you permission to explore Castle Pureheart as you see fit.] **

Mao caught himself before he faceplanted into the carpet. He definitely did not expect that answer and it caught him slightly off-guard. Not that he would ever admit to that. But he fully expected to be denied entry, and have to abandon his sentry post at Snugglemagne’s side to sneak around inside, it was almost routine for him at this point. But maybe it was a good thing. He didn’t have Badgerclops to scan for any traps (or the trapdoors the castle was infamous for.) 

“Ahem, well...that's good-I suppose.” 

**[Of course, his majesty also commanded not to take no from you as an answer.] **

“And if I did say no?” 

**[His majesty did not elaborate. Only “something needlessly cruel”.] **

What in the world did he get himself into? 

**-**

**[This is your room to the right, Sheriff Mao Mao. Breakfast starts at ten every morning. Guest rooms are not fitted with their own personal bathrooms. Those are located down the hall. If you require my assistance, I am but a call away, and I will help to the best of my abilities.]** Roo rattled off, bowing deeply. 

Mao blushed and quickly looked away, not used to being shown such signs of respect. The small hallway they were currently occupying was dimly lit, small wall sconces flickering with artificial candles making the shadows along the wall look like they were moving. It did not help the creepy vibe the castle was currently giving off. 

“Uh wait!” Mao flinched at his deep voice echoing through the hall. Roo’s retreating form stopped on a dime and turned to acknowledge the sheriff. The way her upper body only turned to him while her legs stayed put sent a chill up Mao’s spine. “Umm..where is Snug- His Majesty’s room? I thought we would be sharing a conjoined one?” 

**[His majesty’s room is located directly across from yours, Sheriff Mao Mao. Though he wishes not to be disturbed and intruded upon before he awakens. I will fetch you when he requests your presence.]**

Mao pouted as Roo left. Why was he disappointed with that answer? “It’s no big deal...right?” But first being locked out and now this? 

“Well fuck that, I’m going in there and waking him up.” he grumbled lowly. No need for that robot to hear what he was planning. Mao had no idea what it was capable of, and he was unwilling to find out, especially when it came to Snugglemagne’s safety. 

He walked over to the King’s door and tried the handle. Locked. Why in the world was it locked during a potentially dangerous situation? If ghosts were real, a simple locked door wouldn’t stop it. 

“And it won’t stop me either.” Removing a glove, contracting a toe and extending a claw, he got to work trying to _quietly _unlock Snugglemagne’s door. Mao pressed an ear close to the area above the door handle, listening to his claw and the locking mechanisms interacting. Lock picking was definitely NOT a skill a hero should know, but desperate times- 

_-click- _

“Aha! Got it!” 

...forces you to do things you never thought you would. 

Mao gripped the handle as tight as he could, practically lifting the door as he slowly opened it. It was pitch black in the room, shades drawn tightly shut, preventing any sort of light from entering the room. Mao crept in, closing the door just as silently. He looked around, eyes adjusting to the dark room. He could make out the outlines of furniture, but the room was huge, one misstep and he could alert Snugglemagne and have that robot in here in a heartbeat. 

_ “Me-me-me-me, not you~” _

Mao’s ears twitched, Snugglemagne’s “unique” sleeptalk helped pinpoint the location of the bed. He crept along, thankful the room was carpeted and muffling his steps. Carefully, oh so carefully, Mao ran his ungloved paw along the bed until it bumped into something warm and soft...and purring... 

The sheriff quickly looked around, spotting the shape of a nightstand with a small lamp on top. He fumbled a bit with the switch, turning it on with a triumphant smirk. 

“Alright your majesty, it’s-” 

Mao Mao faltered. He had never seen him...looking so peaceful, so calm. For as long as he’s known the king (which wasn’t that long in retrospect) that smug holier-than-thou look never left Snugglemagne’s face. It was irritating and Mao always (secretly) wished for a way to wipe that dumb look off his face...and keep his job. 

This moment of calm...what did his mother always say? ‘Let those in peace, stay in peace.’ 

Mao looked at Snugglemagne’s slumbering visage again and felt his face warm up a bit. He never understood what that meant, but he had a feeling this situation applied to it. This was that peaceful moment that Mao should leave at peace. Probably the only one either of them would get this weekend. 

Maybe, through all this, he’d get to see it again? 

Mao shook his head vigorously, enough to see stars. This was not the time for such errant thoughts. At all. 

Tearing his eyes away from his king, Mao pawed at the light again, switching it off and flooding the room in darkness once more. Turning his back, he quietly crept back to the door, trying his hardest to open it even quieter than earlier, but only by a margin. He slipped through the gap he gave himself but hesitated. The door was originally locked, and he forced it open. He obviously couldn’t lock it back out here. 

“Aw shit.” This was a problem he didn’t expect to run into so early in the mission. 

Wait, the mission! He could blame this whole break-in on those supposed “ghosts” and no one would suspect a thing! No one would know about Mao Mao flagrantly disregarding Snugglemagne’s rules and he wouldn’t have to face his King’s wrath. 

‘Ha ha, Mao Mao you absolute GENIUS you~! Badgerclops would be proud of you.’ Smugly patting himself on the back, he slowly closed the door, barely making the smallest click. 

The biggest sigh escaped that Mao wasn’t aware he was even holding. That whole ordeal was unexpectedly stressful and...Mao felt the heat return to his face as he trekked back to his door. It was unexpectedly nice. He pressed his face to the cool door, willing the heat to just go away. 

“I should..call mom..” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! We're back! Sorry for the unannounced hiatus, but I got a little distracted. But I never stopped writing this chapter out. Sure I stalled a lil cause I wrote myself into a corner a couple of times but I got myself out, because I know y'all really want to continue to read this, and for that I thank you! 
> 
> Also, just to address one thing, someone asked me what do the titles and chapter summaries have to do with the story. And my answer is, nothing! A lot of it is just song titles and lyrics that get stuck in my head when I'm editing these things or I'm actually working on it. Sometimes it will relate to the chapters, other times the title, chapter summary and subsequent writing will have nothing to do with each other whatsoever, I just liked the way it sounds~
> 
> Please stay tuned for the next chapter, and thank you once again for your continued support! Kudos and comments are very much appreciated!


	6. Dream Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a dream I can see, you are not far away.

“Your Grace, you have to wake up! Wake up!” 

How odd. No one in the kingdom had such a deep voice. The voice sounded like it was right in his ear and far off at the same time. Such a sound was quite soothing and very pleasurable, however. He could listen to that baritone vibrate in his ears all day. 

“Your Grace, wake up!” 

Wake up? Oh, he supposed he had been sleeping rather long. It wouldn’t do for anyone who worked in the castle to see their king roll out of bed so late and looking positively disheveled. He had an image to uphold. One of utter perfection, no matter what. Or in dire times, fake it until you make it (behind closed doors so no one could see you become undone.) 

“Yes yes,” Snugglemagne muttered, dragging the soft sheets from above his head. Bleary eyes struggled to make out the short figure standing in front of him. It was very dark, but he was quite sure that was Quinton standing above him. When had he gotten so tall? “Do be a dear and draw back the curtains for us, Quinton.” 

A soft but deep chuckle came from the figure as they slowly padded their way over to one of the windows. “Wrong stooge, my liege.” One could practically hear the smirk in that voice. 

Snugglemagne rolled over onto his side, squinting as the rays of the mid-morning sun crept its way into the room. He lamented the fact that he wasn’t a morning person, the warm light was a such a lovely way to awaken and greet the day. He felt the other end of the bed dip and caught a flash of red. Red? No one in his court wore red. Except- 

“Mao Mao?” 

Said cat grunted, removing himself from the bed. “In the flesh, Your Majesty.” At this, Snugglemagne sat up full, a deep blush blossoming on his face as he pushed himself against the headboard. Mao Mao? Here? Now of all times when he was looking positively dreadful?! This was unacceptable, this was outrageous, this was- 

Admittedly a very secret fantasy. But the Sherriff did not need to know that. 

“Sherriff Mao Mao what on Earth are you doing here?! How did you even get in here?! Quinton should’ve stopped-” 

“The door?” Mao interrupted. “And you were the one who invited me, remember?” 

Mao flashed a toothy grin as Snugglemagne cast his sleepy gaze elsewhere. He scowled as he thought about his Sherriff’s words. Yes, he remembered he did ask the black cat to come to the castle. Had he stayed and waited the entire night? 

Before Snugglemagne had time to process the situation further, Mao had quietly walked his way over to the other side of the bed the king occupied and promptly seated himself at the edge. Snugglemagne froze, his gaze darting between his Sherriff’s amused face and the outdoor clothes the other rudely had upon the king’s bed. Annoyance quickly replaced the anxiety. 

“Now what, pray tell, did we call you for? Not that we don’t appreciate your presence this fine morning. But we weren’t aware that our invitation called for a, how should I put this?” Snugglemagne quickly brushed the offending red fabric off the side of his bed, not much he could do about the gloves touching his sheets without throwing the entire cat off of his bed. “Eugh, a boytoy alarm clock.” 

Mao Mao let out a laugh at that, a rich luxurious sound that always sent a shiver running down his spine in a very delicious way. Snugglemagne’s blush threatened to return to face full force at this rate. He quickly brought his bed sheet to cover up his face and shot his Sherriff a glare, silently demanding an answer to his inquiry. 

“It’s for the ceremony, remember?” Mao stated very matter-of-factly, leaning his face into Snugglemagne’s own. The king tried to push himself back further, away from the sudden invasion of privacy but was met with resistance. Blast that stupid wall. 

“Ceremony? What ceremony? We don’t remember ever creating one, and on such short notice!” 

Mao sighed, sitting back and unsheathing his sword. His sword? Where did that come from? “You’re a bit forgetful, ain’t ya? That ain’t very king-like...or whatever.” 

Snugglemagne eyed Mao Mao as he ran a finger down the blade, the sudden shift in the other’s voice, and the lack of formality came as a bit of a shock. Why couldn’t he move? He wanted to admonish the black cat for daring to draw a weapon in his bedroom but his mouth felt like it was glued shut. What was going on? 

“You’re very selfless you know, sacrificing yourself to the Gourd King so he can stop haunting Pure Heart Valley...” 

What? 

Mao slowly brought his face back to his king’s, dragging his blade up the sheets, the sharp weapon cutting a path through it until the ruined sheets parted, baring Snugglemagne’s chest to the world. He rested the blade upon the soft pink chest fur and Snugglemagne could feel his heart threatening to beat its way out of his chest. Panicked blue eyes stared into empty green ones. What on Earth was going on? Why couldn’t he move? Why would he sacrifice himself to some false king? He never agreed to this, this had to be some kind of mistake. Some kind of cruel prank the Sweetiepies set up? 

“Oh, don’t worry, Pinky will make a great king! Once we get him out of jail that is, but that shouldn’t be too hard, seeing as your word is no longer law.” 

This can’t be real. That blade pushing into his chest can’t be real. 

“I would say long live the king...but...you know-” 

No, he didn’t know. 

\- 

Phone calls with mom never lasted too long. A quick life update, news on the sisters, ‘I’m proud of you Mao Mao’ and a weak “thanks” to end the conversation and that was it. No longer than fifteen minutes, tops. Ever since he left home, it's just been the norm. 

“Yea, maybe next year ma. Badgerclops is gonna stop by though. You’ll get to meet Adorabat too.” 

“_ I’ll miss you, Mao. __Harvestween __is our __favourite __holiday. _” 

Mao Mao let out a long-suffering sigh as his mother started on family traditions he would be missing out on. Not that it mattered, he never really cared for family holiday shenanigans. He was rarely if ever, involved in them. Not by choice, Mao always wanted to be involved in whatever his family was doing. But he was used to being left out. 

“_ -and Aunt Henrietta was going to bring her famous stuffed peppers! She has a new recipe she was hoping you could try. _” 

“Huh? Oh yeah, shame.” Mao replied absently. He honestly hated those stuffed peppers. But it was nice to be included in something, however small. “Next year I guess.” 

“_ ...I know you aren’t one for holidays, but you seem more distracted than usual Mao. Is something the matter? _” 

“Am I that obvious?” 

“_ A mother always knows. _” 

He couldn’t fault her on that. Even though his mother wasn’t too involved in his life after he was old enough to start carving out his path, she seemed to always know what was wrong before Mao even did. She always put aside time to listen to him and never interrupted. And she always seemed to have the best advice for everything, even if he wasn’t looking for it. 

“I...I need help-” 

_ “Oh? You never asked me for help before!” _

“Mom _please_, you know how hard it is for me to even BEGIN thinking about asking anyone for help!” Mao shifted through the small pink bag on the bed, that note from Honey and Camille had to be here. He should’ve known his mother would react that way, calling her and asking was a mistake. The sooner this conversation was over, the better. 

_ “Let an old woman have her fun. What is it you need my help with, exactly?” _

Mao continued sifting through his belongings as he let an awkward silence settle in. His mother was a patient woman, used to him freezing up when he encountered something out of his comfort range, and this was WAY out of that range. It was more than uncomfortable, asking for help made him feel less than the legendary hero he knew he was supposed to be. Heroes never asked for help, that’s what his father always said. And his training hasn’t steered him wrong yet. 

“Uh, you know what, never mind. Forget I even mentioned it!” Mao laughed nervously. 

_ “Mao _ _ Mao _ _ -” _

“Tell father and the sisters I’ll see them for Toy Day haha, great talking to you mom but I better get going! Don’t wanna keep the king-” 

_ “MAO __MAO _ _ .” _

Mao flinched and pulled the phone away from his ear. He was nervously chatting away. He didn’t even realize he was doing it until his mother yelled at him. “Uhh..yeah?” 

_ “Mao __Mao__, I am not your father. I want you to ask me for help whenever you need it. So please, talk to me.” _

_ ‘I am not your father.’ _ She always, _firmly_, told him this whenever Mao Mao started panicking about the little things his father would admonish him for. It never did much to calm him down, he felt his mother was just as mean about it as his father was. But she was right, as always. 

“It’s just..this job. You know there are no such things as ghosts but the King does. His subordinates gave me...crystals to help with this but I don’t know anything about this! The last encounter I had with crystals ended with me hosing down my entire HQ! I....I just need help understanding them, okay? Nothing else.” Mao grounded that last part out. No matter how many times his mother reminded him, he honestly hated asking anyone for help. 

_ “Oh son, is that all? _ _ Of course, I__ can help you. Can you tell me which ones are having trouble with?” _

“Uh, yea just....give me a minute. A list came with-aha! Found it, finally.” 

They went over the list, his mother being true to her word and offering what she knew. Mao Mao was of course, resistant to listening to his mother’s advice, drifting in and out of the conversation while unpacking all of his things (he would never let his mother know he did that, she would kill him.) 

Asking for help meant he was weak and didn’t know what he was doing. Mao KNEW what he was doing and he was anything but weak. The King knew that, why else would he have bothered to assign him this mission? 

His mother must have known Mao Mao was strong and that he always knew what he was doing. Right? Of course. 

_ “...and you need to hold on to some of them for them to work. Got that son?” _

“Huh? Oh yeah. Totally, thanks mom.” 

Silence on the other line was the only reply. 

He was busted. 

“Mom I-” 

_ “I’ll send you a text later on with all the information you need, Mao __Mao__. In the meantime, you should get some rest. You have a busy weekend ahead of you.” _

“Yeah...yeah. I will. Thank you.” 

_ “Thank you for asking me to help out Mao __Mao__. Even though you don’t think I do, I know you can do anything. I’ll talk to you later, son.” _

Mao didn’t give the dial tone a chance to ring in his ear before he tossed the phone on his bed. He heaved a withering sigh as he packed away the last of his meager belongings. 

Twenty-eight minutes. A new record. 

He messed up. So much for always knowing what he was doing. Mao Mao wasn’t certain, but it sounded like her voice had softened towards the end of their conversation. It sounded like she forgave him. 

Tossing his sword and cape aside, he climbed into bed, intent on getting the sleep he needed before the day truly began. 

“Ugh, stupid cuisses!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are doing well and staying safe! Please forgive me for how long this chapter took to come out. After Covid hit, finding the creative inspiration to keep going with a lot of my projects just seemed to dry up. But I keep pushing cause I want to see the end of this story and I know you all do to! I hope you all enjoyed this 2k chapter! (I honestly didn't think I'd be writing this much for another transition chapter...) 
> 
> Thank you all for your continued support!

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my foray into the Mao Mao fanfic world~ the title honestly has nothing to do with the rest of the story, I just really wanted to use it one day and a Snugglemao fic seemed like the perfect fit for it. So as a head’s up, it might change in the future if I think of a more fitting title. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this introductory chapter! I'll try to keep updating as much as I can, so stay tuned! (Kudos and comments are much appreciated~)


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